RITUAL HELPS TEAM STEP IT UP

Pregame dance-off a fun outlet for Hemet girls, who are vying for their third straight title

Today’s match

CIF-SS DIVISION IV-AA CHAMPIONSHIP

Hemet (26-6) vs. Saddleback Valley Christian (28-4), 9 a.m.

At Cypress College. Directions: I-15 north to west Hwy. 91. Drive into Orange County, exit at Valley View Street. Turn left at Valley View Street, then U-turn at Karen Avenue. Address is 9200 Valley View St.

Hemet’s Shelbi Skinner (center) celebrates with her teammates near the end of the third game against Ontario Colony in the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA girls volleyball quarterfinals Saturday at Hemet High School. BILL WECHTER • U-t

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Hemet’s Shelbi Skinner (center) celebrates with her teammates near the end of the third game against Ontario Colony in the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA girls volleyball quarterfinals Saturday at Hemet High School. BILL WECHTER • U-t

About 45 minutes before the Hemet girls volleyball team attempts to win a third straight CIF Southern Section championship today, they will form a circle just off the court and show off their very best dance moves.

None of them ever intends to compete on “Dancing With the Stars.”

“My dance routine is different every time,” junior outside hitter Baylee Christian said. “I’m a terrible dancer. I try to think of good dance moves, but it always comes out looking terribly awkward.

“But that’s what makes it funny. We all look funny doing it. But it really gets us pumped up.”

Second-seeded Hemet, the two-time defending champion Division IV-A champion, will play for the IV-AA title against top-seeded Saddleback Valley Christian (28-4) at 9 a.m. at Cypress College.

Prior to their pregame warm up, they will all participate in the Gigolo dance. Junior setter Tristan Self and senior middle blocker Shelbi Skinner will begin the routine like this:

“Hey, Shelbi!”

“Hey, what?”

“Are you ready?”

“For what?”

“To gig?”

“Gig what?”

“Gigolo … Ready, go!”

“My hands are high, my feet are low. And this is how I Gigolo!”

Skinner then begins a dance of her own choosing. When she finishes, her teammates imitate the dance.

When that dance is complete, another teammate has the floor.

And so on.

“A lot of us aren’t really good at dancing, which makes it even more funny,” said Self, who leads the team with 712 assists and 52 serving aces. “It gives us a mental break before an important game. After we’re finished, we get really intense.”

The Gigolo is performed only for playoff games. And it draws interesting reviews.

“It intimidates the other teams, I think,” said Christian, who leads Hemet with 188 kills. “When you see the look on the other team’s faces, they’re kind of confused. They think that we’re really not in the zone.”

The Bulldogs (26-6) are far more graceful on the court. Despite losing a handful of key seniors — and moving up a division — the players haven’t missed a beat.

“We have a really great back row. And when they’re there, and they’re ready to pass, everything else just falls into place.”

First-year coach Janie Washburn, who was promoted after coaching two years for the junior varsity, said her team moves like champions.

“A lot of the girls were starters, and they knew what they needed to do to get to CIF again,” Washburn said. “They know that you’ve got to buckle down and do your work, and not just mess around, because teams that mess around aren’t going to make it to CIF.

“The girls really work well together. They know how to play, and they’re really comfortable with each other. They’re not only teammates, they’re really good friends as well.”

The Bulldogs put a big emphasis on controlling side out.

“They’ve been serving very aggressively, keeping the other teams from being able to run their offense,” said Washburn, whose team has served 211 aces this season.”

Most of the Bulldogs admit they look silly doing their pregame dance-off. But the show must go on.

“Other teams get ticked off because we laugh so much when we’re doing it,” said senior outside hitter Briana Williams, who has 132 kills. “It may look funny to other people, but it works for us.”